Lost in the Maze of Roads
by AADale
Summary: Ishida has a strange adventure in Soul Society, immediately post SS arc.  IshidaOrihime.


Lost in the Maze of Roads

Ishida has a strange adventure in Soul Society, immediately post SS arc. IshidaOrihime.

Disclaimer – Yup.

Ishida hated this place.

In his time here in Soul Society he'd initially been hunted as a ryoka; now, in the last few days, he was honored as a guest and a hero. And still he hated the place. He had lost his power, he was alone, and somewhere out there was a mutilated Captain who was regenerating. Ishida had sought revenge on the Soul Reapers, and had found the very person who was responsible for all the pain endured by the Quincies – and had failed to kill him in battle. Ishida believed that that failure put him under a death sentence.

For all the talk about Aizen and his companions, the Soul Reapers didn't understand that the worst monster in the world was still among them, serving as a Captain of the Gotei 13.

Ishida got lost in his thoughts, and soon after lost his sense of direction. This terrible city – were there no straight roads leading from one place to another? Division Four headquarters, where he had been staying, wasn't far from the Kuchiki family manor. He had planned on a quick afternoon visit with Rukia, but it had become clear that he was going to be late. Evening was fast approaching. He began walking faster. A few days ago, hiding from the Soul Reapers, he'd be happy seeing a lone and empty street, but this evening it meant that he couldn't get directions. Each turn led to another empty pathway.

He was tiring – moreso than he ever did when he had his Quincy powers. The shadows were growing.

At last he heard voices ahead. Friend or foe, he didn't care at this point, as long as the maze of roads finally came to an end.

He walked further ahead, and could soon make out that the voices were many. And loud. And drunk. He had happened upon the Headquarters of Division Eleven. A dozen shinigami wandered around the street grabbing anyone who was unlucky enough to pass by. They were being dragged in to what Ishida could only guess was a party or, by the sound of it, a riot.

Two Reapers with Division Eleven insignia on their robes suddenly turned around and saw him. Ishida was in no mood for this. He wondered, should he stare them down? Ignore them? Fight them? Then he saw five of their fellow squad members carrying Captain Kyoraku over their heads as he hollered for his freedom. Ishida decided that it would be wise to accept their offer – one drink for Captain Zaraki's birthday.

"I'll tell you this, because you're a Reaper, and you're stupid," Ishida slurred at his drinking buddy.

It was nighttime; Ishida had no idea where the time had gone, here at this celebration for a captain who had tried to kill his friend Ichigo. Not that Ichigo was his friend. Actually, Ishida thought, he kind of liked the idea of Ichigo getting killed, but not by these guys who he hated. He hated Ichigo too, just in a different way. What was he saying? He could barely hear his own thoughts because of all the noise. He actually couldn't _remember_ his own thoughts. He wondered whether the sake was getting to him.

His drinking friend interrupted him. He was a strange fellow, with bright feathers adorning his right eye. "It doesn't make any sense. She's supposed to be his clone, right, but he's a monster, and she's beautiful."

"I don't know", Ishida said. "Maybe she's not a clone of him. He's evil. That's my point. It's that he's evil."

"She's just the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." This feathered guy was blubbering. He'd had way too much to drink.

"Hey. HEY. Captain. Get over here." Ishida's companion called over a fellow abductee, the captain in the flowery robes whose name Ishida couldn't remember.

"This guy here, he's my friend", the Division Eleven officer said, pointing in the direction of the captain. The captain came walking over, stepping carefully around the bodies and bottles that littered the courtyard. "He understands women."

"Yeah?" Ishida was doubtful. "I've got a question for you."

"Yeah. You know Nemu, right?" the black-haired Reaper interrupted. Then a bald fellow from the Eleventh called him over with a shouted promise of sake, and the feathered Reaper wandered off.

The two hostages looked at each other, smiling, both of them dazed at how their night had turned.

"Here's what you have to understand", explained Shunsui. They were sitting together on a bench in the courtyard, surrounded by the wreckage of a party that has passed its peak hours ago. "It doesn't matter that Ichigo's not good enough for her, or that you're not good enough for her. Your redhead, she's a woman, right? Women are amazing. No man is ever good enough for a woman. You could have…powers," Shunsui gestured wildly. "But even if you did, I'm telling you, she's out of your league. But she might not realize it." He stomped his foot to emphasize each word of the last sentence.

"I've had women. Do you think I deserved them? No! But you keep trying. You pound your head against the wall because if it does happen…" Shunsui had paused for dramatic effect, but never finished the sentence as he slid off the bench and onto another Reaper's lap. Shunsui lay there unmoving.

Ishida looked at the now-sleeping captain. What he said made a lot of sense. And actually, getting a little bit of sleep wasn't a bad idea, either. _Just a quick nap_, he thought to himself, _and I'll feel great in the morning_. He surveyed the ground and found a little patch of grass that looked comfortable. The Quincy laid down and curled up on the spot. Just before he closed his eyes, he promised himself to follow the advice that Shunsui gave him: to pursue Orihime, no matter the odds.

He didn't remember a word of it in the morning.


End file.
